Meager rewards rate
The rewards earnings on the card are typical for a co-branded airline card. You get two miles per dollar on American Airlines purchases. The rest of your spending earns only one mile per dollar. Unless you allocate a large portion of your budget to American Airlines purchases, you are going to have a hard time mustering many miles with this card.
Large sign-up bonus
The card does offer a very generous 50,000-miles bonus for new cardholders who manage to meet the $5,000 spending requirement in the first three months. AAdvantage miles are worth a pretty penny, and we value this bonus at $1,000 or even higher, depending on how you use it. Note, if you are simply looking for a big sign-up bonus, the American AAdvantage Platinum card regularly offers bonuses of 30,000 miles or more, for a much lower annual fee.
High annual fee
The $450 annual fee is likely to be a major barrier for most cardholders. The card does offer a few credits and perks that help make up for the fee, such as the $100 credit for TSA PreCheck and a free checked bag on American Airlines. However, the card is not nearly as liberal with travel credits as other elite cards, and the credits alone probably won’t cover the fee.
Many places to go, if you can deal with the quirks
One of the major pluses of American Airlines is the fact that it is a large airline with a massive global footprint and a huge network of airline partners. Your AAdvantage miles will take you just about anywhere you want to go. However, you will have to deal with American Airline’s restrictive routing rules to get there. For example, the loyalty program requires you to book the most direct route possible and prohibits traversing through a third travel zone when crossing from one zone to the next. Also, as with many airline loyalty programs, stopovers are not permitted with rewards tickets, though you are allowed to book open-jaw tickets (an airline return ticket in which the destination and/or the origin are not the same in both directions).
One good option to stretch your miles further are MileSAAVer awards. If you are flexible with your travel dates, you can book flights within the contiguous 48 states for as few as 7,500 miles.
Admiral Club lounge access
As mentioned above, access to American Airlines’ Admiral Club lounges is the primary reason to get this card. An Admiral Club membership on its own would cost $475 or more, so, if you intend to use the lounges, the lounge access alone justifies the annual fee. And, note, the card gives you full-fledged access to the Admiral Club, which means you can use the lounges whether or not you fly American Airlines. You also can bring up to two guests with you – or unlimited members from your immediate family – without having to pay an extra fee.
On the downside, the number of lounges —only 50 worldwide – is pretty limited, plus some Oneworld partner lounges.
Numerous travel benefits
The card comes with the usual list of travel and purchase protections that you would expect from a premium travel card. These benefits include worldwide car rental insurance, trip interruption and cancellation insurance, baggage protection and extended warranty. One great benefit for world travelers is the lack of a foreign transaction fee.
Elite benefits are just OK
A high-fee travel card usually entitles you to some pampering, and the AAdvantage Executive World Elite MasterCard mostly meets expectations. On top of free lounge access, the card promises an “enhanced airport experience” – which means, mainly, that you get priority check-in and boarding, and a faster route through airport security line where available. You get a $100 credit toward TSA PreCheck every five years. Also, you and up to eight companions traveling on the same reservation are entitled to one free checked bag. This benefit applies whether or not you use your card to book the ticket.
The card also helps you reach elite status in the AAdvantage loyalty program. For current AAdvantage members, this may be another great incentive to sign up for the card, though the spending requirement is substantial: You have to spend at least $40,000 in a year to earn 10,000 elite qualifying miles.
Compared to other cards in its class, the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite MasterCard is missing some features. While some cards offer a large credit for travel expenses, the AAdvantage card offers a mere 25 percent discount on in-flight purchases. There are no opportunities for discounted airfare or upgrades, unless you reach a higher elite level in the loyalty program. Finally, the card is lacking in hotel benefits. Most elite cards include a luxury hotel program that showers you with valuable perks, including automatic room upgrades, priority check-in and $100 credits for hotel expenses. If you are truly looking for the red-carpet experience, you may want to examine other options.
Reasons to get it:
- You are a frequent flier with American Airlines and you want the royal treatment, including access to Admiral Club lounges.
- You are looking for a card with lounge access.
- You are trying to earn elite status with American Airlines.
- You are looking for a large sign-up bonus.
How to use it:
- Be sure to spend $5,000 in the first three months to earn your 50,000 bonus miles.
- You don’t have to fly with American Airlines to use your Admiral Club membership – use the lounges any time you fly.
- You can use any card to book your flight with American Airlines – your card benefits, including free baggage, still apply.
- Assign authorized users to your account to give them access to the card’s benefits – and increase your miles.
- Book your companions on the same reservation to extend your card’s benefits to them.
- Use MileSAAver awards to book rewards tickets for as few as 7,500 miles.
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